First Chinese national curriculum overseas school to open in Dubai this September

The first Chinese national curriculum school to offer full-time K-12 education outside of China will open in Dubai this September.

The Chinese School Dubai will create an additional 2,000 seats in the private education sector once fully operational, said a statement issued by the Dubai Media Office on Wednesday.

Located in Mirdif, it will initially offer classes up to Grade 5 and operate on a non-profit basis.

The school will be the the first overseas Chinese school to receive financial support from the Chinese government.

Its teachers are directly recruited by the Hangzhou Education Bureau.

First Chinese national curriculum school to be established overseas set to open in #Dubai, mainly focusing on serving the Chinese community in the emirate. It will create an additional 2,000 seats in the private education sector once fully operational.https://t.co/CR4f4wtOMk pic.twitter.com/FBhlghUSTN

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) July 21, 2020

About 200 students have already enrolled and a senior leadership team from China has put in place an orientation for 37 new teachers from both Hangzhou and Dubai.

Students will also be offered Arabic as a second language, Islamic studies, moral education and UAE studies based on the UAE national curriculum.

“Chinese School Dubai will inherit the glorious tradition and advanced education concept of Hangzhou No. 2 High School, providing the children of overseas Chinese in Dubai with basic Chinese education of high-quality,” said Yin Liping, founding principal of Chinese School Dubai.

Although the private school will be primarily focused on catering to the Chinese community in the emirate, but will also accept foreign students.

“China and the UAE have had a close long-standing friendship, and there’s no better symbol for that friendship than a school. The Chinese School Dubai will be the heart of the Chinese community in Dubai and foster a rich exchange of teaching and learning opportunities with other schools in Dubai. We are honoured that the first Chinese-curriculum school outside of China is opening in Dubai,” said Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, chairman of the Board of Directors and director general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), the emirate’s education regulatory body.

“The establishment of the first Chinese national school is a win-win project undertaken by China and the UAE, which aims to promote bilateral relations and cultural exchanges. Not only does it meet the increasing demand from the existing diversified communities in Dubai, but it will also attract talent from China and other regions to study, work and live in Dubai,” said Li Xuhang, Consul General, Consulate-General of The People’s Republic of China in Dubai.

The school adheres to the principle of ‘all for students’ and strives to cultivate future qualified citizens with Chinese hearts, international vision and humanistic accomplishments to realise the mission of building a world-famous overseas Chinese school in basic education.”

This latest educational institution raises the number of curricula offered by Dubai’s private school sector to 18.

Tuition fee for school-going children for the academic year 2020/21 will remains unchanged, KHDA confirmed last month.

Read: School fees to remain unchanged for next academic year – KHDA

The UAE has issued guidelines on the reopening of educational institutions across the country later this year.

While it hasn’t confirmed that students will return to the physical campus of their schools post their ongoing summer break, it has issued 100-plus protocols for the re-opening of private schools across the emirate.

Read also: KHDA issues list of protocols for reopening of private schools in Dubai